Study examines trends in headache management among physicians

An estimated 12 percent, or 36 million Americans, suffer from migraines, resulting in an economic loss of $31 billion each year due to lost productivity, medical expenses and absenteeism.

Making lifestyle changes, such as exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep, reducing stress and cutting food triggers from your diet, have been shown (.pdf) to be effective ways to manage headache symptoms. But research recently published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine shows that physicians are increasingly ordering medical tests and providing referrals to specialists instead of offering counseling to patients on how changing their behavior could relieve their pain. Medical News Today reports:

The study, which analyzed an estimated 144 million patient visits, found a persistent overuse of low-value, high-cost services such as advanced imaging, as well as prescriptions of opioids and barbiturates. In contrast, the study found clinician counseling declined from 23.5 percent to 18.5 percent between 1999 and 2010.

The use of acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen for migraine remained stable at approximately 16 percent of the medications. Meanwhile, the use of anti-migraine medications such as triptans and ergot alkaloids rose from 9.8 percent to 15.4 percent. Encouragingly, guideline-recommended preventive therapies – including anti-convulsants, anti-depressants, beta blockers and calcium channel blockers – rose from 8.5 percent to 15.9 percent.

Unlike with the treatment of back pain, researchers found no increase in the use of opioids or barbiturates, whose usage should be discouraged, although they were used in 18 percent of the cases reviewed.

Researchers also found a significant increase in advanced imaging such as CT scans and MRIs, from 6.7 percent of visits in 1999 to 13.9 percent in 2010. The use of imaging appeared to rise more rapidly among patients with acute symptoms, compared to those with chronic headache.

To me, this study suggests that the current 20-minute visit-based model of healthcare is broken and that we need to move towards promoting and reimbursing innovative solutions such as doctors and patients electronically collaborating on their healthcare outside the office visit.

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The management of headache represents an area of particular concern for our healthcare system and stands out as an important opportunity to improve the value of healthcare in the United States.